Chaos Control (video game)
A sci-fi rail shooter with anime-style cutscenes.
Chaos Control is a 1995 rail shooter developed by Infogrames Multimedia and published by Philips Interactive Media. It was released for the CD-i, MS-DOS, Mac, Saturn, and PlayStation. The game's cutscenes have an anime-like look. In Japan, two versions of the game came out for the Sega Saturn. The second one, published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment, was called *Chaos Control Remix* so players could tell it apart from the earlier Saturn release, which did not support lightguns. The Sega Saturn's European Chaos Control and the Japanese Chaos Control Remix included lightgun support and a two-player option. A sequel, *Solar Crusade*, followed in 1996. **Gameplay** This sci-fi rail shooter puts the player in the cockpit of a fighter ship. The ship moves automatically, but the player can aim freely with an on-screen reticule and must time shots so the guns don't overheat. The four levels feature enemies like mech suits, other spaceships, and virtual reality constructs. Most of these enemies shoot back, draining the player's shields. There are no power-ups or recharge items for the shields, and if the ship is destroyed, the player must restart the level from the beginning. Enemy positions are fixed and never change, and the flight paths are also set, so players can learn the patterns and beat the levels through memorization. *Chaos Control Remix* works with the Saturn's Virtua Gun. The CD-i version needs the CD-i's Digital Video Cartridge to run. **Plot** In 2050, the alien Kesh Rhan species finds the *Pioneer 10* space probe. After decoding Earth's coordinates from the Pioneer Plaque, Lord Commander Arakh'Kreen orders the fleet to invade and destroy the planet. The player controls Lieutenant Jessica Darkhill, a human pilot in the Orbital Defence Forces. She wants revenge for the death of her fiancé, Morgan Kain, who was killed in an earlier battle with the Kesh Rhan on Mars. When the Kesh Rhan flagship appears above Earth for a final attack, Darkhill is promoted to Major and sent to Manhattan to lead an assault against the alien forces and stop the planet's destruction. **Reception** Reviewing the CD-i version, *GamePro* called *Chaos Control* "a looker" and a fun way to pass time, but said it lacked the depth and challenge it should have.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Chaos Control
- Developer
- Infogrames Multimedia
- Publisher
- Europe / Philips (MS-DOS, CD-I) / Infogrames (Saturn) / North America / I•Motion / Japan / Virgin Interactive Entertainment
- Platforms
- CD-i, Mac , PlayStation, Saturn, MS-DOS
- Released
- July 2, 1995 / October 4, 1996 (PlayStation, Japan)
- Genre
- Rail shooter
- Modes
- Single-player
- Designer
- Bruno Bonnell / Jean-Claude Larue
- Composer
- Thierry Caron
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Chaos Control is a sci-fi themed rail shooter that places the player inside the cockpit of a fighter ship. The spaceship flight is automated, but the player may target freely using an on-screen reticule, timing shots to avoid overheating the guns. Targets across four levels include mech suits, other spaceships, and virtual reality constructs, most of which return fire to drain the player's shields. There are no bonuses or recharge power-ups for shields, and play must restart from the beginning of the level if the ship is destroyed. Enemy positions are predetermined and unchanging, allowing the player to learn deployment patterns through memorization. In Japan, the Sega Saturn had two versions released. The second, published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment, was retitled Chaos Control Remix to avoid confusion with the previous year's release that had no lightgun support. The European Saturn Chaos Control and the Japanese Chaos Control Remix included lightgun support and a two-player option. The CD-i version requires the CD-i's Digital Video Cartridge to play. The plot is set in the year 2050, when the alien Kesh Rhan species discovers the Pioneer 10 space probe and deciphers Earth's coordinates from the Pioneer Plaque. Lord Commander Arakh'Kreen orders an invasion. The player controls Lieutenant Jessica Darkhill, a human pilot seeking revenge for the death of her fiancé, Morgan Kain, killed in an earlier battle on Mars. Darkhill is promoted to Major and ordered to Manhattan to lead an attack against the Kesh Rhan flagship.
Reader's Guide
Chaos Control received mixed reviews. GamePro, reviewing the CD-i version, praised its looks and onscreen action but criticized the lack of multiple weapons and limited rail shooter gameplay, though they later awarded it Best CD-i Game of 1995. Next Generation admired the full motion video and stylish animations but scored it two out of five stars, noting it would bore those who dislike straightforward rail shooters. Power Unlimited gave the CD-i version 85%, calling it beautiful and compelling but slow. Rob Allsetter gave Chaos Control Remix 56% in Sega Saturn Magazine, pleased with the graphics but finding the gameplay monotonous and lacking replay value due to its short length and absence of scoring features. Computer Game Review sharply criticized the computer version as a substandard copy of Star Wars: Rebel Assault, and in 1996 Computer Gaming World declared it the 38th-worst computer game ever released. The game's significance lies in its multiple platform releases, anime-style cutscenes, and the addition of lightgun support in later versions, though its legacy is tempered by criticism of its shallow gameplay.
Did You Know?
- The Japanese Saturn version was retitled Chaos Control Remix to avoid confusion with a previous year's release that lacked lightgun support.
- The game's plot involves the alien Kesh Rhan species discovering the Pioneer 10 space probe.
- Computer Gaming World ranked Chaos Control the 38th-worst computer game ever released in 1996.
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